Don't Go
by teamjacob0729
Summary: AU, Bella drove away from the Black's in tears following the newborn fight. Instead of stopping on the Cullen side of the treaty line, she breaks down in tears on the Quileute side.
1. Chapter 1

Bella stopped just shy of the treaty line. She could no longer see through her tears and the breaking of her heart kept her from driving any further. She sobbed as she lay down across the bench seat of her truck, only to sob harder when she could smell the scent of the Black's home, permanently a part of the truck.

She was being watched from both sides of the treaty line and finally after she remained there, Embry couldn't take it any longer and walked up to the passenger side. He wrenched the old door open and looked at Bella's body. While part of him was furious with her for telling Jake what she did, he couldn't understand why she would do it when she was obviously as heartbroken as Jake. So, he grabbed her limp body and carried her into the woods.

He didn't flinch when he heard Edward calling for him, telling him to bring Bella to him so he could comfort her. He continued to walk back to the reservation, ignoring the pleas of Alice and his fellow wolves. Bella continued to cry out in pain, but didn't seem to recognize that she was not in her truck. His chest was slick from the tears that were pouring from her eyes.

When he walked up the porch steps of the Black home, Sam looked at them.

"What's going on?" he asked. But Embry ignored him as well, carrying the slight woman in his arms to the place he knew she belonged. While tears continued to stream down her face, her loud sobbing had subsided. Her eyes remained closed and neither of them had spoken a word to the other.

Embry marched into Jacob's room. Jacob was asleep. They'd had to inject him with morphine after he tried to get out of the bed and follow after Bella. Even though the medication should have caused him to be in a coma, he moaned and moved around restlessly. It was hard on everyone to watch as he fought the medication induced sleep.

Embry came close to the edge of the bed. Lightly, he hugged Bella and lifted her carefully across Jacob and laid her down on the bed next to him. Without speaking, he stepped back and watched as she lifted Jacob's arm and wrapped it around her. She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder and stayed there, her eyes never opening, still silent.

Carefully, he backed out of the room and left the two. It hadn't been missed that Jacob's face relaxed when she touched him and that her tears had stopped falling. Embry rubbed his hands over his face and stepped out into the living room to face Billy.

"Embry? What's going on? Is she okay?" Billy asked quietly.

"She is now. So is he."

Billy simply nodded and rolled himself into the kitchen.

Embry left to go talk with Sam. They were going to have to tell the Cullens it was time for them to leave. Without Bella.


	2. Chapter 2

Don't Go

Chapter 2

Rated T

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Billy had called Charlie to let him know where Bella was. He knew about Jacob's 'motorcycle accident,' which was unfortunate. Billy would much rather continue his "lie by omission" path to his friend than straight out lie to his face. It was getting harder on Billy knowing what Bella had planned for her future.

He had checked on Jake and Bella a few times and neither had stirred since Embry left Bella on the bed. No one could understand what was going through Bella's head. Jake had been frantic when she left. His screaming would be forever etched into Billy's memory.

"Don't go! Don't let her go! Stop her!" He had been shrieking, struggling to get out of his bed, his body half broken. The men in the house had to fight him to hold him down and Sam had alpha commanded him to lay down.

They all froze when Jake ignored his command and continued yelling from his partial sitting position. "She's going to die if she goes with him. Don't let her die! Bella! Bella! Come back! Come back!" Embry had followed her out at this point, feeling a compulsion to obey Jake's begging to save Bella.

It was Jared that had been able to draw up a syringe of morphine. Carlisle said it was very strong, but left them with a stronger pain killer if Jake needed it. Jared had given Jake the prescribed amount.

However, Jake's screaming continued. The tears were gushing down his face and he had managed to get out of the bed, but fell on the floor. This gave Sam the opportunity to inject another needle straight into Jake's muscular butt cheek. Finally, he succumbed to the medicine and wept on the floor. Sam, Jake and Paul were able to lift him back into the bed, where he continued to fight the drowsiness that was taking over him.

Billy had watched as Jake slept fitfully, knowing he would be stopping Bella if he could. His heart was heavy. He had never seen two people fighting against fate so hard in his entire life. It was heart wrenching.

Embry had come back late to check on them and help Billy get to bed. He appreciated Embry's help when he was feeling so emotionally drained. As soon as his head rested on the pillow, he called out to Embry.

"Are you going to stay? I hate the idea of them being left without help if they need it."

Embry nodded before shutting the door. He flopped down on the lumpy old couch and fell asleep. They were all exhausted from the battle that day and everyone wanted to just sleep.

Sam had spoken with Carlisle and he promised they would run patrols so that all of the wolves could go home and get some much needed rest and relaxation. Sam said they'd be back on patrol the next day, but Carlisle told him they would take care of things for now.

Embry tried to tune out the echoes of Jake's screaming in his mind so he could sleep. He really hoped Bella would not wake up and try to leave in the middle of the night. Seth had moved her truck from the treaty line to his house. No one wanted her to be able to drive away. They even went so far as to hide Jake's keys to the rabbit.

The house was silent, aside from the sounds of steady breathing and the occasional squeaky spring. Embry started to become aware that he was being watched. He felt goosebumps rise up on his arms. Without moving a muscle, he breathed in deeply. The scent thankfully wasn't vampire. Unfortunately, it was Bella. He laid still, listening to her to see what she was doing. She stumbled to the bathroom, and he heard a couple of thumps on the way. She used the toilet and left without flushing. But the water was turned on lightly, so he figured she was trying not to wake anyone.

After he heard her go back in Jake's room, he got up and went into the bathroom, flushing first. He stood outside of Jake's bedroom door, debating on opening it. He wasn't sure how Bella would react if anyone talked to her right now. Listening closely, he could tell she wasn't too close to the door. So as quietly as possible, he opened the door just enough to see Bella's body curled back against Jake's in his bed.

Embry went back to the couch and fell soundly asleep until morning. He could hear the radio in Billy's room, so he got up to see if the elder needed help. Embry was able to get him situated and Billy took care of the rest. They met back up in the kitchen, where Embry had put two bowls, the cereal boxes and milk on the table. He was already three-quarters through the bowl by the time Billy poured his own bowl. They ate in silence and when Embry was done, he washed his bowl and said good-bye.

Billy checked again on Jake and Bella. He was surprised to find they lay in the exact same position as the previous night. Bella was up against his side, with his good arm wrapped around her. They were both sleeping peacefully. If nothing else, Billy was glad to see him getting the much needed rest to heal.

There was a knock at the door and when he answered it, Carlisle was on the other side.

"Good morning. Just came to check on the patient," he smiled softly at Billy. Billy backed up so the doctor could come inside.

"He's still sleeping. I hope he's okay because my stubborn son tried to get out of bed last night."

"What?" Carlisle asked, shocked. "Was he injured further? What happened? He should've been sound asleep with the painkillers I left for him." Carlisle headed toward Jake's room, his compassionate heart wanting to check on the young man. He found he was blocked by Billy's surprisingly agile maneuvering.

"He's okay. He was very upset with Bella. I want you to know-she's with him right now and I don't want you to disturb her. Neither of them has slept a decent night in who knows how long," Billy was firm with Carlisle. Carlisle stood frozen. He knew what Edward had seen happen but they didn't know anything else. Alice couldn't see Bella's future, so they all assumed she was still with Jake.

Carlisle held his hands up. "I won't disturb them. I want to check his vitals, and his bandages. Make sure he's healing up, and not bleeding too much. I'll treat him just like I would a patient at the hospital. Okay?"

Billy stared him down and then backed off.

With only the grace of a vampire, Carlisle checked over Jake's injuries and left more medicine on the table beside his bed. He'd been able to give Bella a cursory glance over to see she seemed completely fine as well.

"Billy?" Carlisle called out as he walked into the kitchen.

"I really appreciate what you've done for my son. No other doctor could have saved him like you did. I want you to know that. But, I also want you to know that if you had never allowed your son to become involved with a human girl, this would have never happened to begin with." Billy sat up straight in his wheelchair. He was now Chief Black, leader of the Quileute tribe.

Carlisle nodded. Then he looked down at the floor, shifting his feet as though he were a common man. "You're right, Billy. We owe the wolves the world for saving Bella. It is our fault that she has discovered our world. Yet, I don't know that we should vanish without a trace again. But, I promise you, if she asks us to go. We will go."

"Maybe if you knew what was best for her, you would just go. A parent does what is best for his children, even if it isn't what they want." Billy rolled toward the door and Carlisle walked out when he opened it.

"I'll be back to check on him tomorrow morning. He's healing at a considerable rate, Billy. It won't be long until he's back to himself."

Billy nodded. He knew without a doubt, that Jake would never "be back to himself."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rated T.

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Pack visitors came and went from the Black home. It had been 2 full days since Embry had brought Bella back. Neither Jake nor Bella had left the bed, except the few times Bella seemed to use the bathroom in a trance-like state.

They hadn't had anything to eat or drink. Embry suggested turning them a little so that they didn't get bed sores. So he and Sam tried, but the moment they had touched Bella, Jake clasped her tightly. Instead, they drew back and left them, hoping that they'd wake up soon. Billy in his frantic worrying began leaving cold bottles of water and snacks on the TV tray at the head of Jake's bed. Billy had someone put it there so anything they needed would be within reach.

One of the scariest parts was that they had not administered any more medication to Jake. He slept in what seemed like a pain-free sleep. Carlisle couldn't easily examine him without disturbing the pair. He had promised Billy he would treat them as regular patients. In the hospital, he wouldn't ask a sleeping family member to move away from a comfortable patient.

Carlisle had checked Jake's bandages and said they could remove them when he woke up. All outward scratches and cuts had healed. There was no way to know for sure about his inner breaks, but assuming it was healing as rapidly as his skin, it would be better quickly.

Billy didn't say much when Carlisle came to the house. Of course, he appreciated what the doctor had been doing for him. But he couldn't help but hope they would all leave soon. He asked when he thought Jake would wake up and if Bella would be okay without having any nourishment. Carlisle said that if she didn't rouse soon, they would need to wake her and insist she eat or drink. If they couldn't, he could always insert an IV and give her whatever she needed that way. Billy only nodded, taking his recommendations into consideration. It wasn't as if they could call someone else for a second opinion.

It was this last visit that Carlisle cleared his throat and hesitated at the door. He looked at Billy.

"My son was wondering if he could come check on Bella. He is concerned about her well-being."

"I don't think so," Billy replied softly. "You know as well as I do that she is fine. He can take your word for it. I don't know why she is still sleeping but I believe it is what the Spirits have intended. I hope you understand the only reason we allow you to come here. When Bella wakes, she will contact him."

Carlisle simply nodded, knowing that was likely the answer he would receive and shut the door behind him.

The moon cast an eerie shadow across the ceiling in Jake's room. He lay there staring at it. Carefully, he started testing parts of his body to see what was still hurting. He flexed his toes and then his feet, slowly turning them left and right. So far, everything seemed to be feeling better. He tried his fingers and was surprised when one hand was wrapped around someone. Jake was afraid to turn his head. He flexed his fingers again and moved his forearm a little, tightening his hold on the small form next to him. It definitely wasn't any of his pack mates.

Finally, he realized he had other senses and took a deep breath. He was surprised to find her scent here. Could it be her lying next to him? His palm rubbed a warm path against her back. Indeed, it was Bella. His hand twisted in her long hair. With extreme care, he turned his body toward her and pulled her hair to his nostrils. It was such a wonderful smell. It smelled like home to him, a scent he would always recognize.

_Why was she here? When did she come back? How long have I been sleeping?_ He wondered.

His eyes glanced around the room. There were two water bottles on a small table by the bed, so he reached out and grabbed one. He twisted the cap and drank the entire bottle. Too late he realized that the condensation had gathered and dripped from the bottle. It landed right on Bella's face. He smiled when she flinched, then rubbed her face against his chest. With his other hand, he wiped the drop from her face.

Rolling onto his back, he stretched his arms up over his head. His body felt amazingly good. The last thing he remembered was getting jabbed in the butt with a needle when he was trying to stop Bella.

He turned back to realize Bella was staring at him. She had been running her eyes down his chest. The bandages were loose around his skin. So he reached down and yanked them off, tossing them onto the floor.

Bella leaned up on her arm and glanced across his chest. When she couldn't see any cuts, she leaned even closer, thinking she was missing something. It was blemish free.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, not wanting to break the silence.

"I think so. How are you healed?" she asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you know how long we've been sleeping? Or how I got here?" she questioned him.

"I don't know how long we've been sleeping. But I figured you came back here. You left and I told them to stop you. But they didn't. They just stood there while you walked away from me," he cried quietly.

"Oh, Jake. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Don't leave me ever again. Please don't leave me. I can't take it," he cried. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her face in, crying with him.

Eventually, she backed up, but didn't let go of him. He was in so much pain, Bella couldn't take it.

"I remember that I was driving home, but I couldn't see any more through my tears. So I pulled over. That's all I remember. I don't know how I got here. I'm really thirsty. I think I'm going to go get a drink," she announced, trying to sit up in the bed.

"No!" Jake panicked. "There's water right here. Some snacks too. Are you hungry? There's an apple, granola bar, and some," he grabbed the last package reading it, "freeze dried strawberries."

Bella took the water bottle and sipped slowly. She said she'd have some of the strawberries and ate a few pieces one by one. Jake finally sat up next to her and ate the granola bar in two bites, following it with the apple.

Once the food and drinks were gone, they laid back down, side by side. It was quite an accomplishment in Jake's small bed. He was actually hating the way they were laying their like frozen sardines. He flopped onto his side and pulled Bella into him. At first, she fought against him, but when she realized how cozy it was curled up with him, she stopped fighting and went back to sleep.

Billy came in just after sunrise. Bella and Jake were in the same sleeping position he had left them in. He sighed loudly, he was really worried about them and he knew he couldn't keep Charlie in the dark for much longer. His eyes fell upon the water bottles and he saw that they were empty and that the food had been eaten. Quickly, he backed his chair out of the room and went back to the kitchen for more.

Bella's bladder woke her just shy of noon. Jake had his arm wrapped around her and she couldn't get him to let go. She wrenched against him, which only caused him to hold on tighter. She called his name. No response. She ran her hand across his chest. Nothing.

She was about to pee her pants. So she stretched up and placed her lips next to Jake's ear.

"Jacob Ephriam Black…I need you to wake up," she whispered huskily. She didn't intend it to be sensual in any way, but he turned toward her. His eyes were still closed, but he had a grin on his face.

"Jake, if you don't move, I'm going to pee all over your bed!" she complained, louder. He didn't change expressions but his arm finally released her. She ran to the bathroom hoping it was open.

When she came back from the bathroom, she saw the bed was empty. So she walked to the kitchen. Jake stood at the counter, making ham and cheese sandwiches. He didn't say anything, and Bella wasn't sure what to say. They sat at the table eating the first meal in 3 days.

Without talking, Quil and Embry joined them at the table, eating some of the sandwiches Jake had piled high on a plate. He was munching away steadily. Embry got up and grabbed some drinks and chips and sat back down to continue eating.

Bella had finished her single sandwich and drink. She looked around at the 3 silent men. They didn't try to make eye contact with her, so she decided to speak.

"Does my dad know I stayed here tonight?"

Embry looked at her with a puzzled expression and Quil kept his face down, a sandwich halfway to his mouth. No one answered her.

"Bella, yes Charlie knows where you are," Embry began. "But you've been here for 3 nights."

"Three nights!" she yelled out, her chair flying out behind her when she stood. Her eyes were wide, frantically searching around. "How have I been here 3 nights? What day is it? What the heck?"

She exhaled loudly and sat back down on her chair, staring down Embry as she scooted the chair back to the table. Again, no one answered her. She huffed loudly.

"Embry Call, tell me what day it is," she instructed him gruffly.

"It's Monday afternoon," his eyes flicked up to the clock above the stove. "It's, um, 12:32 pm."

Quil turned to stare at his friend and so did Jake. What on earth was that? Embry sounded nervous, like he was scared of not telling Bella what time it was.

"Was that so hard?" she scoffed, picking up her paper plate and throwing it away. She walked into the living room and plopped on the couch.

"What the hell?" Jake asked Embry quietly. "Why did you answer her like that? It's like you were…" Jake stopped talking. His head turned, much like a dog and then he looked into the living room.

No. No way.

"Quil, cluck like a chicken," Jake ordered. Immediately, Quil started clucking. Then he clapped a hand over his own mouth. Embry laughed and Jake just stared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Rated T**

**Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I know it's not that long and you'll be begging for more, but I'm glad I got a little bit out to you. Think this will answer the dying question though. BTW, National Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up. Please take the time to thank a teacher. A nice note is free and means so much!**

Jake, Embry and Quil all stared at each other. Quil seemed hesitant to open his mouth, unsure of what would come out of it.

"What the heck?" Embry exclaimed.

"Did you just…alpha order me?" Quil finally sputtered out.

"I think I did," Jake said.

"What about Bella? Billy told me not to talk to her about how long you guys were asleep. Everybody's a little freaked out about it. Then she just…just…" Embry turned and looked at Bella before looking back at Jake puzzled.

"Did she order me?" he asked, turning his head in that lupine way.

"I think she did," Jake answered dumbly.

"Bells, are you okay?" Jake called out to the living room. She was walking around, picking things up. "You don't have to clean up. I'll get to it soon."

"I'm not cleaning up, Jacob. I'm looking for my keys. Where did I leave them?"

Embry and Quil gave each other a side-long glance before casually standing and attempting to leave the house by way of the backdoor.

"Hold it right there you two! Where are my keys and why are you acting so weird?" she asked them.

"Sorry, Bella. We've got patrol. Gotta run!" Quil said, and then sprinted for the trees, Embry hot on his heels.

Bella stared at Jake, who sat staring at the wall behind her head. She continued her searching, going into Jake's room and moving things around in there as well. She picked up the discarded bandages and noticed that they were soaked with blood. After cringing in disgust, she dropped the wrap into the trash can and continued looking.

"What do you need the keys for?" Jake asked her from the doorway, panic building in his chest.

"I need to go home! Apparently I have been here for 3 days-asleep!" she replied, her voice rising in her shock. "Three days! Charlie must think I've lost my mind. And, what about Edward? I told him I was going to come check on you and who knows what he must be thinking!"

Jake growled. It was low and steady. He thought she came back for him, but he realized that wasn't so. Her attitude was making him angry and the growl continued.

"Who are you growling at?" she snapped. "Are you growling at me? Well instead of just standing there, you could help me look!"

"No!" he snapped back. "We will wait until my dad gets home to figure out what is going on. You don't know why you've been asleep for 3 days. You just gave Embry an order he couldn't disobey and I made Quil cluck like a chicken! Can you at least wait a few hours until Billy gets here?"

"Give me a break! I did not order Embry! He just freaked out because I raised my voice to him for the first time-ever. I guess I can wait a little while on Billy. But then, you will give me my keys and I am leaving!"

"Bells, I don't have your keys. Please don't act like I'm keeping you here against your will. I was out-a medicine induced sleep from Sam who jabbed my butt with enough morphine to knock out a killer whale. I wake up, what Embry says 3 days later, to you in my arms. I can order Quil around. Something is different! Don't go back to the vamps til we know what it is. Please don't make me beg you again to stay!" His eyes filled with water, but he fought the tears back.

It didn't take long before Jake's house was filled with people. The pack was there, the Council was there, Billy sitting at the front of the room. There wasn't a lot of empty space, so Jake grabbed Bella and squished her body beside him on the couch. When Seth tried to sit on the arm of the couch next to her, Jake automatically shoved him off and put his forearm on the couch. Seth stood up and looked at Jake with an odd expression.

"Dude, you could've just asked me to move," Seth said, a hint of hurt in his voice.

"Don't sit by her," he grumbled out.

"Jake, be nice. Or I'll leave now," Bella said. He bit his cheek to keep his retort from slipping out. He would do everything within his power to keep her from leaving.

Billy began talking. "As you know, Friday evening Jake returned from a battle against a newborn vampire coven. He was seriously injured with the right side of his body effectively pulverized. Carlisle Cullen treated him for the first 48 hours or so, but Jacob has healed. His services are no longer healed and he is no longer permitted to enter La Push. We have asked the Cullens to leave."

A loud gasp flies out of Bella's mouth, her eyes open wide in shock. She couldn't believe they would leave her again.

"But Carlisle refuses at this time and we can't force them if they're abiding by the treaty. We'd hoped they would do the right thing and leave, but he refused."

Billy continued. "Friday evening, Bella left after having an upsetting discussion with Jake. She began driving home but was so overcome with grief, she stopped on our side of the treaty line. She was watched as she cried hysterically for nearly half an hour before Embry Call picked her up and brought her here. When he neared the house, her cries quieted. Once Embry laid her with Jacob, both of them fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. Jacob put his arm around her and they didn't move at all for 2 days. The question we have is 'why'?" Billy looked slowly around the room making eye contact with each of the elders as they pondered his question.

"Can I say something else?" Jake quietly asked. Billy nodded.

"This morning, Bella gave Embry an alpha order, and," he couldn't continue because the room had exploded with talking. Wolves were turned to Embry asking him to confirm this information and elders were talking it over each other. Jake looked at his dad.

"Okay!" Billy called out. "Jake, was there anything else you needed to add?"

"Yes. I was able to alpha order Quil," he paused. "To cluck like a chicken." The pack burst into laughter.

Sam was the next to speak. "What do you think that means? Am I no longer the alpha?"

"How do we know young Bella gave Embry an alpha command? We have never heard of an unmated alpha pair before," Old Quil said in his rough voice.

"Billy told me not to tell them yet how long they were asleep. We didn't know what it meant. She yelled at me and I spilled."

"She yelled at you?" Old Quil asked. "Maybe you were just surprised. I do not believe the pale face ordered you."

"What about me?" Jake asked, his frustration showing through a slight bit. "Do you believe I ordered Quil or he just did what I said?"

"Well, my grandson would do just about any foolish thing someone asked of him," he replied.

"Grandpa! That's not true. I don't do things that make me look stupid!"

Jake and Embry snorted back a laugh.

"Not like that anyway," Quil sat down pouting.

The conversation began again around the room. Jake was able to separate the conversations, but Bella heard all the talking as an aggravating hum. She squirmed restlessly in the seat. All this talk of alpha orders was baloney in her mind and she wanted to call Edward to make sure they weren't leaving.

Jake noticed Bella's agitated behavior, so he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Without realizing it, Bella sank into his side and relaxed. Her mind cleared of her worries. The others kept talking and soon it was white noise to Bella as she settled into Jake's side. She began to doze off when Jake lightly trailed his fingertips up and down her forearm. Neither Jake nor Bella spoke to anyone. Jake listened to the many theories swirling around the room.

His eyes happened to notice on the VCR clock, it was nearing 4 o'clock. They had been at this yakking for hours now and nothing had been resolved. So he stood without acknowledging anyone, grabbed Bella in his arms and took her to his room. He quietly shut the door with his heal and lay her down on the bed. He cuddled up to her and breathed deeply over and over. The conversations in the living room continued in hushed towns, but it didn't make a difference to Jacob. He could hear it all.

They were wondering how things changed now and what was to be of their future. Were Jake and Bella the alpha pair? How was that possible with a Quileute and a white girl? No one could make sense of it. Jake recalled the conversation he and Bella had before she left him. She had told him she loved him, but not enough. Apparently after she left she had been crying so hard she could no longer drive. That was craziness. Now she was here talking about nothing but leaving to see Edward.

He whispered to Bella in her sleep. "I'm glad you're here. Please don't leave again. Let's figure this out together. You're meant to be here, I just know it." He kissed her just in front of her ear and laid back holding her close.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rated T

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm a teacher and this is a super busy time of the year wrapping up grades, and testing to prepare for retention meetings, and general end of the year stuff. Updates will be intermittent. Twisted and Truck Scene both have chapters in the works.

The house had been emptied except for Billy. He insisted that everyone go and give the couple time to sleep. If they were still tired after all the sleep they'd already had, they needed to be left alone. Nothing was dire at the present time.

Bella woke first in the middle of the night. She sat up in the bed, looking around wondering what time it was. Her mind recalled the last hours that she could remember. She remembered the meeting in the living room that seemed to drag on and on. It didn't feel like the right place to voice her concerns. Had Embry only asked her because she bit his head off? Or had some supernatural force caused him to obey? It was a lot of take in.

When Jake wrapped her up, she was able to relax and the next thing she knew-she was back in bed again. Her stomach growled loudly, protesting the lack of sustenance. Glancing over toward the little table, Bella found that there was food left for them again. She decided the best choice was the banana since it wouldn't make any noise.

Jake stirred in the bed and his arm reached out searching for her, though his eyes were still closed.

"I smell bananas," he whispered, his voice still thick with sleep.

Bella waved the empty peel close to his face so he could get a bigger whiff. She smiled when he kept sniffing. Unexpectedly, he swung his hand out and snatched the peel from her hands.

"What are you doing to me while I'm sleeping? I'm an invalid, you know?"

"Oh my gosh! You are not. You're completely fine. I was hungry and your dad must have left more food. I tried to eat something quiet."

"It was quiet, but the banana smell is really strong, you know."

"Whatever. How are you feeling?" Bella asked, placing the peel back on the TV tray.

"I think I'm okay. Just exhausted, feel like I could sleep longer. What else is up there?" he continued to lay with his eyes closed, not moving anymore.

"There's another banana, some potato chips, pretzels and a candy bar."

"Is it chocolate?"

"Yes, why?"

"Mmm. I'll take the chips and the chocolate."

"Gross," Bella muttered handing him the requested snacks.

"It is not. Chocolate covered chips are really good. You should try one."

"No. That sounds gross," she moved back, appalled at the combination.

Jake leaned up on his elbow, and opened the bag of chips and the chocolate and popped a stack of chips with a chunk of chocolate into his mouth. It wasn't exactly the same but it was good.

"Here, try some," he said around his own huge mouthful. Bella closed her mouth tightly and shook her head side to side.

"Come on! Try it. It's good. **Try it**," he commanded her. Bella's mouth popped open, but her eyes were wide with shock. Jake's hand dropped, the bite in his hand moving away from her face. "Never mind. It's okay." He quickly backtracked.

"I'll try a little bite, okay? Just for you," she replied softly.

"You don't have to. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to force you. I cannot believe that just happened. It keeps getting weirder and weirder around here."

"It's ok. I don't have to be so stubborn about everything." Bella opened her mouth and let Jake feed her a small bite of the snack. She chewed it up and let the flavor roll around her tongue a bit.

"Well?" Jake asked, his eyebrows held up in question.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'd try a real chocolate covered chip." She looked down at her hands, tangling up with her legs.

"Jake, do you really think I gave Embry an _alpha command?_" she asked, almost too quiet to hear.

"Bells, I don't think you did. I _know_ you did. I could hear the change in your voice."

"My voice did not change!" she insisted.

"Honey, I have better hearing than you. I'd know if it did, and it did."

"I don't understand," she reached out for a water bottle. She twisted off the cap and drank a large gulp. When she put the bottle back down, Jake was staring at her.

"Don't you wonder how you slept better than you have-in what 2 years-when we slept like that for days on end?"

"Well, yeah. Maybe I was so tired from all of that crying in the truck. Speaking of my truck, where is it really at?" Bella asked.

"I really don't know. I'll find out for you if you really want to leave that badly."

"Well, I probably should head home. Charlie has to be wondering if I'm okay, I haven't been home in days. Remember before the fight, I was 'spending the night with Alice,'" she reminded him.

"Why don't you just stay tonight and call Charlie in the morning. I mean it's," Jake paused as he twisted around to see his alarm clock, "2:30 in the morning. I don't think Charlie is looking for you right now."

Bella huffed and then said she would be back after she used the bathroom. Once she was back, Jake grabbed and pulled her back against him. He hoped that she wouldn't leave in the morning. He didn't know what it was, but he had this feeling in his gut that he didn't want her to go.

The smell of burning bacon woke them both from their slumber. At first, they both lay processing the smokey smell as it filtered its way into the bedroom. Neither had a chance to move before the smoke alarm went off. Jake jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen, Bella not far behind him.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Jake asked as he flapped a dish towel under the smoke detector.

"Cooking breakfast for my two favorite people in this house!" he responded cheerfully.

"First of all, there are 3 people in this house. Second of all, I don't think that is edible-for even me."

Billy made a grossed out face and started to dump the pan into the garbage.

"No! Stop, you can't put hot grease in there. It'll melt." Jake grabbed the pan from his dad, and tossed the blackened bacon into a plastic shopping bag to go in the bin outside. Then he put the pan on a cool burner. "Just leave it to cool and then we can throw out the grease."

Bella finally walked from the doorway into the kitchen. "Is there any bacon left?" she asked. Billy pointed to the fridge, his face looking sad.

"Sorry, I just wanted to cook you two a nice brunch. It's almost 11 am now, you know," he pointed to the clock. Bella's eyes whipped to the clock.

"Holy crap! I meant to go home early today, so I could see my dad," she glanced all around. Jake stood leaning against the counter.

"What about that bacon?" Jake asked.

"All right," she agreed, grabbing the other package from the fridge shelf. She fried the bacon, as well as some eggs for breakfast, as Jake toasted bread and got out plates and such.

Billy happened to disappear while all of this was going on. When they turned around and noticed he was gone, Jake called out for him.

"Don't worry about me, Jake! I already ate a few hours ago."

"Weirdo," Jake said under his breath, as he forked a huge bite into his mouth.

Bella nibbled at the food, eating like a bird as always. She smeared some jam over her toast and was surprised to notice she had eaten two full pieces. She shrugged and cleaned up her plate.

"Can you have someone bring over my truck now?" she asked, as she rinsed her plate. She kept her eyes in the sink, to avoid the guilty feeling she always got when she disappointed Jake.

"Sure, sure," he answered. Jake was annoyed. New developments—_huge_ developments had happened since the battle the previous Friday and she wanted to leave to go back home? He could not believe it. Inside, he was furious, but on the outside, he looked as calm as a cucumber. He walked to the phone on the wall and called Seth.

"Seth, hey man. How are you? I'm good, thanks for asking," he paused, listening to Seth talk. "Yes, she's here. Can you bring the truck by now?"

Jake argued quietly back and forth a few times with Seth, before he hung up and announced Seth was on his way.

When Seth arrived with the truck, Bella was washed up and ready to leave. Seth walked up to the front door, keys in his hand.

"Hi Seth," she smiled at the young man.

"Hey, Bella. Jake," he nodded to his friend. "Here are your keys."

"Seth," Jake called out to the young man on the front porch. "Stay with Bella until she's back on the res or I send someone to relieve you." Jake had given him a direct alpha order. He shrugged at her and climbed into the passenger seat.

Jake chuckled as he heard Bella growl when she pulled out of the driveway. He ran out the back door and phased into his wolf. Once in wolf form, he could feel the difference immediately. He could hear all of the wolves in the pack and feel the essence, so to speak, of each wolf in his pack. Pushing harder, he ran a circuit around the reservation.

One by one, the wolves joined him. Last was Sam, who was the most surprised at the obvious change in leadership. They followed behind Jake as if they had always followed him before. It was natural and it was with great surprise that they found the Cullen coven at the edge of the border as they ran.

They halted as Jake tumbled back onto 2 legs. He was as proud as he was tall, standing before Carlisle.

"Jake, you look well," Carlisle smiled, pleased that the young man was doing so well.

"I feel great. Thanks for your help, Doc," Jake thanked him, genuinely appreciative of his talent. "But, I think it's time for you guys to go."

"No! We aren't going anywhere. Where is Bella? Why haven't you allowed her to go home?" Edward butted in rudely. Jake just glared at him. He turned his eyes back to Carlisle. "Things have changed. Bella will not be returning to your family. She is my alpha female."

"Oh please!" Edward spluttered out. Jake noticed the other vampires just looked confused or surprised at this revelation.

"Why would she suddenly be your alpha female? You didn't imprint on her. You are ridiculous, Mutt," Edward scolded.

"Listen, _Edward,_" Jake sneered. "You don't make decisions for her anymore. She is part of this pack and you will not marry her, or change her."

"We will do whatever Bella wants, Jacob. I made that clear to your father when you were asleep," Carlisle stated calmly.

"You will go because I told you too!" Jake said, looking Edward in the eye.

"Bella belongs with me. She promised to marry me before the fight. She accepted my engagement ring," Edward responded, haughtily.

Jake held his hand out. A small mangled piece of gold lay in his palm. "Is this the ring you speak of? Trust me when I say, you are not marrying Bella. Ever." He bounced the metal toward Edward.

"Leave. I'm not asking you again. Oh, and keep your son away from Bella, or I will." Jake turned on his heel and shifted back into wolf. He commanded Paul and Embry to stay behind and make sure the Cullens went home.

**Thanks so much for reading! Now, go thank a teacher! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Rated T (I'm surprised how much of a struggle it is for me to stay in this, but I'm trying really hard to keep it PG-13 for everyone.)

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Bella pulled up in front of her house. Seth was trying hard not to let her know he was laughing. She had managed to mumble and complain the whole way home about Jake's alpha order.

"Let's go, Seth," she said. "In fact, Seth, go home. I command you."

Seth didn't move. He just started laughing at her.

"Jake said I have to stay with you, so I am. Don't make it harder on me, okay?"

"Whatever. All this alpha female stuff is crap," she huffed walking ahead of him into the house. She dashed up the stairs and grabbed her shower caddy and a change of clothes. The bathroom door slammed loudly and Seth sat on the couch while Bella showered.

Seth was well aware that things were different. They'd all felt it when they were phased while Jake and Bella were asleep. No one was certain exactly what was different until they woke up and started bossing people around. Old Quil didn't think it was a command but they had all seen through Embry and Quil's memories how it happened. But, then she tried to give him a command to leave when they got here and he didn't feel compelled to obey her.

By the time the shower turned off, Seth had run through all the possibilities in his head and gave up for the time being. He wandered into the kitchen looking for something to eat. Surely there was something around there to eat. He was surprised to hear Bella swear and then she was stomping and banging around upstairs.

"You okay?" he shouted up to her.

"No! I'm not okay. I can't find my engagement ring. I think it slipped off while I was in the shower," she responded sounding panicked. Seth went up the stairs to see if he could help her.

He wished he had warned her because she was bending over the edge of the tub in only her towel. Unfortunately, he made a surprised noise in his throat giving away his location. Bella didn't seem to realize she had revealed anything to him.

"Seth, come look in the drain, see if you can see anything. Please!" Bella stood, looking at him imploringly. Seth gestured for her to get out of the tiny bathroom.

"I'll look, you go get dressed." Bella looked down, obviously embarrassed and went into her bedroom. Seth peered down into the drain but couldn't see anything.

"Bella, do you have a flashlight? Bella? Bella?"

Seth jumped up from the bathtub and ran to Bella's room, flinging the door open, his heart racing with panic. If she was gone, Jake would kick his butt. She screamed bloody murder at him. Again, he caught a glimpse of her. She was putting on her underwear just as he opened the door.

"What the heck, Seth? Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"I am so sorry. Really, I am sorry. I was calling you for a flashlight, but you weren't answering. I panicked."

"Headphones, Seth," she snapped, pointing the ear buds in her ears. She grabbed a flashlight off the nightstand and threw it at him. Thankfully he caught it. It would've shattered all over the floor if he had missed. Turning around, Seth went into the bathroom looking for the missing ring.

There was another scream from Bella's room and Seth jumped up to see what was going on. He tore into Bella's room, yelling she'd better be dressed to find Jake climbing in the window. He scowled at Seth's statement.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he questioned, looking rather fierce.

Seth backpedaled from the room, stuttering, and trying to avoid Jake's stare.

"Jake! Knock it off. He thought something was wrong earlier and burst in while I was dressing. Don't even think for a second we were doing something. Besides, if we were would he be out of the room while I was undressed?" She stared right back at him, giving him every bit of the fierce scowl right back.

"I'm sorry. I just had an encounter with the Cullen's. I was worried about you, so I wanted to check in."

"What do you mean an encounter with the Cullen's? What's going on?" She stepped closer to Jake, worry written all over her face. Jake started to get even angrier, until he saw her eyes surveying his skin, looking for injuries.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. They didn't hurt me, but I hope they got the message."

"Message? What message?" she asked, her heart beat erratic. "Jake, what did you do?"

"What did I do?" he glared at her. He stood up from the window sill, towering over her. Seth noticed she didn't shrink back at all. Instead, she straightened herself making her body as tall as she could.

"Yes. What. Did. You. Do? It's not that difficult of a question."

"I told them it was time for them to leave." He stated matter-of-factly.

Bella tore from the room, screaming obscenities neither man had heard from her mouth before. They heard her keys scrape against the small table by the door and the front door slam. Jake jumped out the window and Seth went down the stairs.

As she pulled away from the house, she screamed at Jake not to even think about following her. Jake barked at Seth to follow her and he nodded, jumping in the bed of the truck. Seth was relieved when she didn't tell him to get out. Bella pushed the old truck to its limit barreling through the forest to the Cullen's house. She only hoped that she arrived in time to stop Edward from leaving.

The truck thundered down the drive and Bella was met at the front of the house by Edward and Alice. Seth hopped out and stood next to the truck, giving Edward a small wave. Edward rushed to Bella.

She blinked, getting her bearings, when he appeared in front of her like that.

"Bella, what is going on? Has Jacob Black lost his mind? He met us in the forest demanding we leave. I only wanted to assure your safety as you've been on the reservation with _them_ for days, with no contact."

Bella rankled at the tone when he referred to the wolves as "them." Hadn't they gotten past all of this now that they had worked together to fight the newborn army?

"I am pretty sure he hasn't lost his mind completely. But I was asleep, I was resting. I guess I was exhausted from everything that happened before the battle. They weren't holding me hostage if that's what you're suggesting, Edward. You know that I'm perfectly safe when I'm with Jake, so don't you dare insinuate that I'm not."

"Bella, normally, I would say that you are. But you didn't see him today. He has taken the Alpha title from Samuel Uley without cause. He claims that you are the alpha female and his mate. Bella, are you listening to me?" Edward stepped forward and grabbed her upper arms. Lightly, he shook her body. Seth growled.

"That hurts, Edward. Stop!" Seth took a step forward, but she subtly shook her head. Edward released her and apologized.

"Where is your engagement ring, Bella?" Edward asked, glancing at her bare hand.

She stuttered. "I, uh, I'm. Well, I'm not sure. I think it may have gone down the drain in the shower but I didn't have time to keep looking. Jake told me that you were leaving and I came right here."

Edward reached into his pocket and retrieved the mangled ring. He held it out on his palm to show her.

"I don't understand," she said, looking confused.

"Why don't you ask your precious Jacob?" he snapped at her. "Isabella, I do not want you going anywhere near Jacob Black again, or any of those mutts. In fact, Seth, you should leave right now." Edward gave Seth a nasty look.

"Sorry, Edward, I can't leave her. I literally can't. You know how this works."

"Let's go, Isabella," Edward said, reaching out to grab her. Bella jumped back from his reach.

"Don't call me, Isabella," she growled. "You know I don't like to be spoken down to like that. You know I can't just leave my dad like that. He's already worried since I haven't been home in a few days."

"What was he going to think after we got married and you were changed? We already had these plans. What is going on with you?" He bit out at her. Alice finally stepped down off the porch and spoke.

"Bella? We talked about all of this. Now Jacob Black is trying to interfere, we need to go now. He is making us leave. Technically, by the treaty he can't because we haven't gone against it. But we know how you feel about the wolves and we wouldn't want to hurt them if they attacked us. Though, we would protect ourselves." Her golden eyes bored into Bella's.

Bella swayed for a moment, almost changing her mind.

"I'll talk to Jake. I can fix this." Bella turned, resolute with a new plan. "Seth, in the truck," she called out. He felt the authority that time and jogged around to climb in the passenger side.

After she pulled out of the driveway, Edward and Alice stood, frozen just in front of the steps to the house.

"She just ordered him. She doesn't even know. Seth was surprised that it was true. He'd heard from the others but there was doubt amongst the elders."

Edward turned and looked at Alice, who was looking just as sad as her brother.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, just loud enough for him to hear.

"I don't know, Alice. Has she made up her mind?" he asked, terrified of the answer.

Alice shook her head. She still saw Edward and Bella's wedding. Though, it had shifted and was sooner than the previous August wedding date they had planned. Edward smiled. It looked like he and Bella would be getting married much sooner.

The pair headed in the house to discuss the new plans with the rest of the family. Carlisle nodded his relief that, for now, Bella still wanted them there. He was somewhat frustrated that she wasn't ready to leave. It would make things a lot easier on the family if they could get away from the wolves now. Carlisle thought of one other thing from their earlier meeting.

"Oh, Edward, what about her being the alpha female? Is that true?" Edward's eyes darted to the older man's. Very slightly he nodded, confirming that indeed she was.

"Oh, no, Edward, this is not good. This is not good at all," he said, rubbing his hands over his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rated T

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I mean it's obviously not me because Bella kissed Jacob willingly in this story.

Seth was afraid to speak on the ride back to the Swan's house from the Cullen's. He could feel the absolute fury rolling off Bella's body in waves. He was actually pretty worried about Jake. She was just a little peanut compared to them, but she had the power to break him now.

The tires skidded as she made an abrupt stop in front of the white house. She flew out of the truck without turning the engine off. Seth grabbed the keys and followed her up to the house.

"Back off, Seth," she bit out when he got too close.

Jake met them at the front door.

"Would you like to explain this, Jacob Ephraim?" She held her hand out with the mangled engagement ring in her palm. He bit back a grin at the disgusting piece of jewelry he destroyed.

"What is it?" He asked innocently. Big mistake. Bella reached up and slapped his face as hard as she could. Amazingly, she didn't flinch in pain like he expected, and even more surprisingly, was that it actually stung a little.

"You know exactly what it is! The question is when did you remove it from my finger and what makes you think you have the right to take it?" She was shaking with anger at this point.

Jake reacted to her. He stepped into her space. "You are my mate. I have every right!"

"Your mate? What makes you think for one second that I am your mate?"

"How brainwashed does that bloodsucker have you, Bella? Are you really that oblivious? You know, right up until now, I thought you were pretty smart," he sneered at her. "Except for your taste in boyfriends."

"I am not brainwashed, Jacob!" she replied haughtily.

Just at that moment, Edward and Alice pulled up in front of the house. Edward got out and ran up to the porch.

"Bella, we need to go. Please, love, it's time to leave," Edward gently and carefully grabbed Bella's hand, intertwining their fingers and standing next to her. Jake was vibrating with rage. If Bella weren't so close, he would have laid Edward Cullen out flat right then.

Frozen, watching Jake so close to phasing, Bella debated what she should do. Edward grabbed her bodily and ran with her to the car. Alice was ready and had her foot to the floor immediately. The car squealed and swung from side to side as it raced away.

Jake screamed out, "Bella! No, don't go!" He screeched with terror and ran for the trees. His body was a blur and his clothes dotted the lawn. Seth followed behind him, adding to the spray of torn clothing.

The other wolves felt the compulsion to phase and ran to the woods, barely containing their wolves. As soon as they phased in, they saw Edward snatching Bella replay on loop in Jake's mind. Shock went through the group, that was soon followed with fury to match their alpha's.

Storming through the trees, the pack converged as one near the Cullen property. Once they broke the tree line there, Jake phased. He screamed for Bella; Alice's yellow Porsche left in front of the house.

"Edward, what did you do?" Carlisle whispered in the house, which didn't help at all with the supernatural hearing.

They could all hear Bella sobbing in the house.

"Why is she here? What makes you think it was okay to take her from the wolves? Now we are all in danger! Damn it, Edward!" Carlisle hissed as he stomped to the front door. He held his palms out, trying to placate Jake. "I'm going to get Bella and bring her right out. I'm on your side here, Jake. There's no need for violence."

Carlisle walked from the front door but left it wide open. He turned into the living room to see Bella curled up on the couch, and Edward standing guard.

"I can't let you take her, Carlisle. She is my fiancée! She agreed to marry me. Any claim he has on her is unwarranted and will no longer matter once she is changed!"

"Oh, I don't fricking think so!" Jacob exclaimed, jumping the porch steps in one leap. He walked into the room to see a vampire faceoff. Edward stood with Alice against Rosalie and Carlisle. The others stood still as statues at the sides of the room.

"Sparkles, you have exactly one second to move away from Bella before I remove your head from your body," Jacob warned. To back him up, Embry, Quil and Sam walked in the door, followed by Paul and Brady. They all knew it would get ugly if it came down to a fight.

"Bella is free to go if she wishes. But I know she wants to remain here. I can see her and Edward's wedding, **and** as a vampire. Those are her decisions," Alice spoke boldly.

"If Bella is free to go, then move out of her way," Jake taunted.

"Don't Alice, he wants us to move so he can grab her and run," Edward spat petulantly.

Jake changed his stance to a more relaxed one and switched up his tactic. "Honey, do you want to stay here or do you want to come with me? You told me you wouldn't go. Think about everything that has happened since the battle and you tried to leave me. You couldn't even leave the res without breaking down crying. Please, tell them you want to come with me." His voice was soft and pleading.

"Jake," Bella started and then she paused, caught up in her tears. "I can't go with you."

The room fell silent as Jake fell to his knees, his breath whooshing out of his lungs audibly as if he'd been punched. All of the wolves were breaking under Jake's own heartache. They struggled to remain standing.

Slowly, taking deep breaths, Jake stood to his full height. He was furious. He turned to Carlisle. "If you or your coven turn her, it will be the end of all of you."

"I understand, Jacob," Carlisle nodded. Jake jerked his head toward the front door and his pack began to go out the door.

He concentrated fully on leaving but at the last second, turned and ran back full speed into Edward, catching him unaware. Jake grabbed Bella and crashed through the back window, protecting her body from the glass. There was no thought about what to do next, he ran back to the res with her in his arms, the pack surrounding them as they ran.

Surprisingly, the vampires did not follow them. The commotion in the house sounded like the others were trying to keep Edward from following. Since the pack was standing out in front of the house waiting, they heard Carlisle scream at Edward to stop and not follow.

When they came out of the trees in Jake's backyard, a sight stopped Jake in his footsteps. It was Charlie Swan standing next to his car, looking quite surprised to see the group of men and Leah following Jake out of the woods. Bella lay in his arms, not moving, still crying quietly.

"Jake? What's going on? Is Bella hurt? Wh…why…why are you guys in the woods?" he stuttered out, his heart similarly stuttering in worry for his daughter. His eyes searched the others and noticed their odd lack of clothing. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed but certainly the first time he'd seen them following Jake like that.

"No, Charlie. She's okay physically. Edward Cullen snatched her from your front yard today and I, well we, went and got her back."

"He took her? What does that mean?" his face was screwed up as he tried to understand, his hands resting on his hips.

"Charlie, she was talking to Jake at your house on the front porch. Cullen showed up talking about them needing to leave. Then he picked her up and drove off with her, Alice driving the getaway car," Sam stepped up by Jake, just a few inches behind.

Charlie's mouth opened and closed, as he tried to think of what to say to the news. He'd never cared for the scrawny priss. Always so perfectly behaved and proper when he spoke, made Charlie feel like the little twit thought he was a dumb hick.

"Why's she crying?" he asked, not able to think of anything else at that moment.

"Well, I haven't had a chance to talk to her since we left. But I think she was scared when he took her like that, not sure what was going to happen. Edward and Carlisle got into it. He was unhappy with Edward."

"Of course he should be mad! What kind of teenage boy takes a teenage girl?" Charlie asked, his voice getting gruffer as he finished his question.

A couple of snickers sounded off in the group. Jake turned and glared at them. That would not help the situation.

"I'd like to get Bella in the house and get her some food, if that's okay with you, Charlie," Jake asked in such a way that Charlie would think it was his idea.

"Great idea, Jake. Let's do that," Charlie turned around and walked toward the back door of the house.

Billy saw the expression on Jake's face when they came in the house. Almost silently, Jake ordered everyone else to run patrol around the border. He didn't want Cullen making a beeline for Bella again.

"Hey Charlie, Jake. What's going on with Bella?"

"Apparently, that great boyfriend of hers thought it would be a good idea to steal my daughter from me today, but your son took care of it," Charlie jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

Billy knew that getting Charlie out of the house was going to be critical. "Charlie, my doctor was supposed to call in some medicine for me. Can you drive me to the pharmacy to check on it?"

Charlie glanced at Bella, still unmoving in Jake's arms. "I don't know, Billy. I'm not sure I should leave her like this."

"Jake will watch her until we get back. Please, Charlie, this medicine will really help me with that problem I was telling you about. You know that really uncomfortable itch." Billy gestured to his crotch and Charlie shivered, not wanting any more details.

"Fine, fine!" Charlie gave it, clearly unhappy about it. "You call me immediately if something changes. We will be right back."

"Not if I can help it," Billy muttered as he rolled out of the front door.

"Bells?" Jake said, as he walked toward the couch, still not shifting Bella from his arms. She had stopped crying but hadn't looked at him.

"Are you mad at me? I'm sorry I broke the engagement ring. I just couldn't stand the idea of you marrying him. I know you don't believe that you're the alpha female, but please, give me a few days. If you don't believe me in a few days, I'll give you the choice in what you do. You can go now if you want," he sighed. "The wolf couldn't take it when he stole you from us like that."

Jake's arms went lax. He left Bella on his lap, but it was up to her now. She had to decide to stay with him. As much as he wanted to force her, he knew that she would only resent him. His heart broke when she stood up from the couch. It was going to hurt to watch her walk away from him, when he loved her so much.

Instead of leaving, she walked to his bedroom and closed the door. A small breath of relief left his lungs and then when she clicked the lock, he smiled. She might be mad at him but she didn't leave.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rated T

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

It had been 12 hours since Bella went in Jake's room. She hadn't come out once. He'd be concerned she left, but he could hear her in there. It sounded like she was cleaning his room. Part of him was embarrassed at the mess.

He stood up and went to knock on the door. "Are you going to come out of there?"

She didn't answer. He shook his head at her stubbornness. So he tried to open the door. It was locked. Jake reached up and grabbed the skeleton key above the door frame and unlocked the handle. He was surprised to see that Bella had pulled everything out of his closet and was organizing it.

Glancing around he saw a pile of clothes he could no longer wear and then piles of jeans, shirts and shorts. His dresser drawers were open like a staircase and he could tell she was tossing his boxers and socks into drawers.

"Bells, why are you cleaning my room?" he asked her, actually feeling pretty embarrassed now.

"You insist I stay here, so I'm going to find something to do."

He sighed. "I asked you to stay, I'm not forcing you. I'm not Edward. We have a pack meeting in an hour and you are going to go. Leave this stuff. I'll put it away myself."

"Whatever. You haven't put it away in the 2 years I've been back. I'll finish it. Then I'll go to your stupid meeting."

"Stop being a little brat!" he snapped.

"A brat? Did you seriously just call me a brat? What are you 5?"

"I'd like to call you something else, but I'm trying to be nice," he argued with her, towering over her tiny frame, folded up on the floor.

"Just get out of here and let me finish," she huffed, tossing another pair of boxers across the room and landing them in the drawer.

He turned and walked out of his room, but left the door open. "I'm going outside to check in with OUR pack."

"Your pack!" she yelled back.

Since she couldn't see him, he flipped her the bird and walked out back. In his mind, he replayed over and over the events of the previous afternoon. Bella coming back all furious about the ring, Edward grabbing her and then Jake grabbing her and bringing her home. It was like he stepped into a soap opera.

The drizzling rain started to come down heavier, so Jake went back in the house. He hadn't made any noise and was surprised to hear that Bella was softly crying. Carefully, he crept back to his room and looked in the doorway. Bella was holding a stack of folded up shirts to her face, trying to muffle the noise.

"I'm such an idiot. I'm so sorry, Jake," she said, so quiet he could barely hear her. He waited a moment to see if she would say anything else. When she didn't, he walked into the room and picked her up. He pulled her back onto the bed with him. He didn't speak and neither did she. She cried and he held her.

"Talk to me, honey. What is going on?" he asked her, but she wouldn't budge.

"Go clean up. We've got a pack meeting to attend," he gently nudged her off the bed and she went into the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

They walked out into the trees a little while later. Jake had given Bella a hooded sweatshirt to keep her dry and when they reached a small clearing, he pointed to a rock for her to sit on.

One by one the wolves came into the clearing and sat down. Jake had transformed into his wolf before anyone came and sat down next to Bella. He'd purposely chosen the rock she was on because he could sit right next to her. Without conscious thought, she ran her hand through his fur.

They all laid down on the ground in front of their alpha pair. There was no denying it now and Jake mused that she was the only one that was in denial. He spoke to the wolves through the pack mind. Bella was completely unaware of the conversation. She thought they were waiting on her to speak or Jake to change back.

"She doesn't believe it, so we've got to prove it to her. I want Embry and Quil to start fighting with each other and then I'll get up and get involved. Remember everyone, we're just roughhousing to prove to Bella that she is alpha female. Okay? No one else gets involved unless I tell you to." He looked around and they all confirmed mentally they understood the plan.

She jumped hard when Quil snarled loudly at Embry. Embry got up and started circling around him, growling back. Jake watched out of the corner of his eye as Bella scooted back on the rock.

"Move a little closer to the rock," Jake told them. Embry pushed Quil hard in the side. They growled and snarled at each other. They started pushing each other back and forth, taunting each other in their head's. Quil teased Embry about being a dud and Embry teased Quil about thinking he was lady's man when in reality he was just a lady. It was quite like their usual arguments only in wolf form.

Bella kept telling Jake to make them stop but he didn't move.

"You're going to have to step it up," Sam told Jake. "She's not going to get involved unless she thinks you're hurt."

Jake stood and got between the two wolves. Sam commented that she perked up. The two started pushing Jake around, all the while talking their usual crap. Jake growled at them and they pushed him toward the rock where Bella was perched, watching closely.

"Quit you guys," she called out.

"Ramp it up!" Paul enthused. "She's never going to believe that horsing around you guys do."

Paul attacked Sam and Jared to prove the point. When they were all going at it, Bella was more worked up. They started to push each other around, getting into the heat of it. Seth and Leah who were out on patrol, laughed at their brothers.

Accidentally, (maybe a little on purpose) Sam brushed his tail against the side of Bella's head.

"You guys, that's enough!" Bella yelled, standing up. They continued, getting more heated and letting the drool from their mouths fly around them. A big string of drool flew from Paul's mouth and hit Bella square in the face.

"I said stop it!" she screamed at them, wiping her face. "Go get me water, Paul! That was disgusting!" Paul scurried off, surprised at the force of the command. He came back quickly with the water and a towel to dry off.

She took them and rinsed her face, thanking Paul for his help. The wolves all phased back and started milling around, high-fiving each other for getting Bella to issue a command.

"What are they so happy about?" Bella asked Jake.

"You gave Paul a command."

"No, I didn't!" she protested.

"Bella Swan, you are absolutely the most stubborn woman I have ever met!"

"Guys, we need to talk about Edward Cullen. Let's all meet up at Sam and Emily's for lunch. We're going to make a plan for Bella so that he doesn't take her again." They nodded and headed off in different directions in the woods.

"What is it with you guys thinking I can command you?" she asked, her eyes wide, her head going side to side.

"What is it with you thinking you can't?" he replied, staring her down. She stared right back and didn't even blink. Normally, he would growl at such a show of assertiveness but he ignored her and started walking back toward the house. He didn't go slowly. He walked as fast as he could without leaving Bella too far behind. She complained behind him and he simply ignored her. He wasn't going to leave her in the woods, even though at that moment in time, it would've served her right.

A few hours later, they met at Sam and Emily's for lunch and the pack meeting. Jake hoped that Emily would be able to get through to her since no one else could.

Emily and Bella worked in the kitchen as the wolves sat outside discussing patrols and plans for Bella's protection.

"Bella, what is going on, girl? You leave in tears after breaking Jake's heart and now you're here. Edward kidnapped you," she started, but Bella interrupted.

"Then Jake kidnapped me back, don't forget."

"True. I've heard Jake's side of the story. Tell me yours."

"Well, I remember leaving Jake's and driving home. I was feeling awful because I'd just shattered his heart. I couldn't see to drive through my tears. The next thing I know, I wake up in his bed with him. He's begging me not to leave and I just couldn't leave him. It was tearing me up. The next thing I know, he's telling me I'm alpha female. It doesn't add up." Bella took the lettuce Emily put out and started ripping it to shreds.

"What do you think about that?" asked Emily, timidly.

Bella let out a big breath. "I don't know. Do you think they're making it up to keep me here?"

"Do you think that would be such a bad thing if they were? That they cared about you enough to do whatever you said, just to keep you human?" Emily queried.

Bella was quiet for a long while, thinking over Emily's words. Was it possible that they would do something that crazy just for her? Clearly, Sam was no longer the leader. Had Jake commanded them to do as she said?

She decided there was only one way to know for sure. She would have to order them to do something they wouldn't want to do, no matter what. She mulled that over while she and Emily finished preparing lunch.

Emily called everyone in for lunch and they all made their own foot-long subs for lunch. She said she was tired of cooking non-stop for them and that they could start helping out.

Bella stood against the counter and watched as they ate. The way they inhaled food made her wonder if they knew what they were eating. She smiled widely as an idea came to her.

When they left, Bella told Jake she wanted to make dinner for the pack. He smiled and said he'd take her to the store to get whatever she needed. Bella insisted on going in alone and came out with a couple of paper bags that she put in the back. When Jake tried to help her carry them in, she promised him she could manage.

They hung out the rest of the afternoon in the garage, Jake working on cars and Bella reading a book. When dinnertime rolled around, Bella walked into the house grinning widely. Jake was actually a tad worried about what she had going on.

He came in from the garage and laughed his butt off when he looked at the kitchen table. Each place was set with a cup of water and a metal dog dish. His laughter came to a halt when he saw that she had poured dog food in each bowl. That stuff smelled and looked nasty. There was no way he would eat that.

The only wolves that didn't show up for dinner were Jared and Quil, as they were on patrol.

"Thank you so much for dinner, Bella, I'm starving," Seth announced as he came in the back door. He glanced around the table and noticed no one looked happy, nor was anyone eating.

"What happened?" he asked, startled.

"Well, Seth, we're all a little surprised at Bella's dinner." Embry looked into the bowl as if it were filled with cockroaches.

"You guys are dogs, so what's the problem?" Bella asked airily.

"The problem is that we don't eat dog food," Leah snapped, starting to stand up.

"Sit down and eat," Bella commanded. Leah sat and all of them picked up the spoon and took a bite of the food. They gulped the water to wash it down. Bella still not satisfied that this wasn't a ruse, poured some condiments in the bowls. Some had mayo, some had ketchup or mustard. Bella giggled when she put hot sauce on Sam's. She was sure he wouldn't eat it.

"Eat it all up!" she told them and watched as they did it. After they were done, they all ran outside and started retching. The complaints didn't stop as they were surprised at how far Bella had gone.

They came back in to see her sitting at the table, as white as a sheet. She looked at each of them with tears in her eyes.

"I am so sorry, you guys. I will make it up to you, I promise. Whatever you want for dinner for a week," she put her head down on the edge of the table and wiped away her silent tears. They had been telling her the truth and she made them eat dog food.

"All right, you guys go get some pizza," Jake said, throwing down enough cash for pizza for all of them. Embry grabbed it before Paul.

"Don't touch it, dog breath," Embry goaded, running out of the house before Paul could punch him.

Jake, having been impervious to her command, sat down next to her at the table.

"Believe me yet, honey?" he laughed. "Are you ready to quit being a little brat?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Rated T

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Bella was absolutely mortified. She thought for sure the jig would be up the minute they saw the dog food. When they ate it under her command, she nearly vomited herself. Jake thought it was funny because he didn't have to eat it.

A few nights later she was back at Jake's house. She had spent a few days at home, but promised Jake that she would not see Edward. They patrolled her house to make sure the sneaky jerk didn't try to take her again. Even though Carlisle had promised them he had the situation under control, no one trusted Edward.

Bella started cooking the food she bought for dinner. It was going to be a quick one-tacos. She was glad it was something that she could cook fast. She chopped, diced and stirred the ingredients.

She wasn't sure they'd want to stay and eat anything after their last disgusting "dinner," but she cooked anyway. Tears streamed down her face as she absorbed the week's events. First, she couldn't believe that she was the alpha female. How had that all come to pass now? It was not as if Jake had imprinted on her. He would've said so before now, right? Then to make matters worse she made them eat dog food. Of all the ideas she could have tried to prove her point!

The huge bowls of cheese, lettuce, seasoned ground beef and taco shells lined Billy's kitchen table. She looked through the fridge to make sure she hadn't forgotten any of the toppings. Jake's voice could be heard in the backyard.

"After dinner you are to follow the patrol schedule and steer clear of my house. I need someone to keep Billy away for a while. I'll let you know when things are settled. Bella and I have a lot to discuss."

Several perverted noises were heard, followed by a loud crack and Jake's booming, "Shut up, morons."

Bella rubbed her sweaty hands down her jeans. She was nervous to face the pack members and hoped they would accept her apology. They walked in warily and started looking at the food. Bella held her head down and then sucked in a steeling breath.

"I am so sorry, you guys. I'm such an idiot for not believing Jake before. I didn't think this was possible. This dinner is completely fine. I promise. You guys have supernatural noses, so you have to know it's true," she looked around the room. No one met her eyes, but Jake. He didn't smile at her, but he didn't give her a dirty look either. Grabbing a paper plate, he loaded it up with tacos. He saw that Bella stood frozen. So he grabbed a second plate and made 2 tacos for Bella.

"Come on, Bells. Let's sit outside," he grabbed both plates and walked outside. Bella glanced around at the unmoving wolves. She poured two glasses of lemonade and went out with Jake.

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?" Bella asked Jake, breaking off a piece of taco shell. She didn't take a bite, her stomach was doing somersaults.

Jake just shrugged and continued to inhale the tacos. Slowly, the wolves came out of the house one by one with a plate of food. She noticed that no one seemed to have eaten anything aside from Jake. So she picked up her own taco hoping that they would see the food was safe. After both of her tacos were gone, and all of her lemonade, the quiet conversations started and food started to disappear. The wolves left without a word to her to take over patrols and go home as Jake requested.

Once they were all gone, Bella sat in the lawn chair. She felt utterly ashamed at her behavior. Mentally, she was planning the dinners for the rest of the week. Suddenly, she realized that she hadn't once worried about Edward or Alice and rushing back to them. It was an odd feeling as normally she wouldn't be able to think about anything else. Her hand reached down to her pocket and she realized her cell phone was gone.

"Jake, have you seen my phone?" she asked.

He walked over to the kitchen window and looked out. She saw he had the dish towel thrown over his shoulder. Instead of sitting outside by herself, she went back in to help him clean up the kitchen. She grabbed the towel off his shoulder and dried as he washed.

"When did you have it last?" he asked.

"Hmm. I'm not sure. When I was at my house, but I'm not sure where I left it. I need to talk to Charlie. I haven't talked to him in a few days. I've been in and out of the house."

"See, Bella, we really need to sit down and talk. Come on. Let's finish this up and we'll go sit in the living room." Jake finished washing the dinner dishes as Bella dried and put them away. Together they knocked out the task quickly.

Jake sat at the opposite end of the couch from Bella. He turned to face her. After taking a deep breath, he decided it was best to come out with it.

"Bells, Charlie saw us coming out of the woods after I took you from the Cullens. He was real worried about you. So, Billy had some explaining to do. We were half naked, walking in formation. Charlie wasn't going to let it go. Now before you go getting all upset, he only confirmed the truth of our legends. He doesn't know about the Cullens, yet, at least."

"Charlie knows? What does he know? Does he know about all of the alpha stuff?"

Jake nodded affirmation.

"Where is he now? Where does he think I am? What does he think we're doing here?"

"Well, right now our dads are at your house. They're staying there until we straighten things out. Even though we haven't sealed our bond, we are the alpha pair. We can talk about all of that if you want, but I think right now, it's more important to talk about you fixing things with the pack."

"Jake, I am so embarrassed. You know that, right? I thought they would all start complaining and laughing about it." She looked into his face. He wasn't making eye contact with her. "I don't know what to think of this whole alpha thing. It scares the crap out of me. I'm not a leader—I'm just me, nothing special at all."

"That's not true at all. You're something special. You are very special to me," he whispered, chancing a look into her eyes. What she saw in his broke her heart. That was what led her to stop driving and cry her eyes out. She saw the love in his eyes and it scared her. Never in her life had she known an unconditional love.

Jake scooted closer to Bella. He grabbed her hands and held them in his lap. Gently, his fingers caressed hers. Bella started sniffling and leaned her head into Jake's chest.

"Do you really see yourself still marrying the bloodsucker? I can't keep begging you to stay. But I'm asking you not to go."

Bella looked up at him, tears dripping out of her eyes. Jake's eyes met hers and then looked over her hair as his warm hands rubbed over her.

"I don't know, Jake. None of this makes sense to me, but I need some time. I'll try with the pack. I really will. I should probably go home though," she conceded. Jake's response was a deep growl.

"This is your home. Please don't leave. We've got to figure out what happened after the newborn battle, but even if we don't, you are a part of this pack. Staying here with me will be the start of you proving yourself to them. You owe them a few more good meals to make up for the dog food. But this Saturday, we'll have a bonfire. By then, the elders should be able to explain everything to us."

"Jake, I don't see how me staying here will help make things right with the pack," Bella started, her eyes looked back and forth between his.

"First of all, they will see us as a unit. Second of all, they won't have to patrol Forks, so they can stay closer to home. Third of all, they can come in here to eat and chat with you. There's more to make up for than the dog food, honey. Think about the newborn army they just defeated for you."

Jake looked down at her and stared into her eyes. At first, she stared right back, but started to feel uncomfortable. She knew he wanted to kiss her, but she wasn't ready to reciprocate. Instead, she leaned in and hugged him. He placed the kiss on her head instead.

"We can't keep hiding from each other. We're going to be in each other's lives for a long time. When you left after the newborn fight, I tried to get up to follow you. It broke me to watch you leave. I know you felt that. Why do you keep fighting us? What's so wrong with me?"

Jake wasn't crying. He knew that he was a good person, that he was important to his tribe and his family. Deep down he knew that Bella loved him, but he needed her to explain. It really chafed him that Alice still thought Bella would be marrying Edward. His mind kept going back to the picture of her huddled into the couch crying that she couldn't go with him.

"Jake, there's nothing wrong with you. You know that I'm not good enough for you. Look how I've already messed the pack up as alpha female! I'm only going to make things worse. I've promised to be changed. I can't go back on that promise. It no longer matters what _I_ want! The Volturi says I must be changed. Therefore, I can't be with you. I told you I love you. I'm not hiding from you. I'm protecting you." Her voice cracked as she continued to cry. Her mind wondered how someone as insignificant as her could mess up so many lives.

"Oh, Bells. You don't need to protect us." Jake ran his hands through her hair until he had formed a ponytail behind her head. Gently, he pulled it back, so that he could look in her face. He kissed away the tears as they ran down her face. When she didn't pull away or turn her face away from him, he leaned in toward her mouth. He looked into her eyes and watched, expecting her to reject him again. Finally, he placed a searing kiss on her lips. His hand dropped her hair and his fingers threaded into it. She kissed him back with all of her might.

"Please don't go, honey," he whispered between kisses.

"I won't," she whispered back to him, wondering what she was going to do to fix all of the messes she had made in her life and his.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rated T

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

_Okay…okay…I backed myself into a corner here and while some of you thought it was hilarious (as did I), some of you were not so amused. Let's remember it was fiction and no dog food was consumed. It's just the *idea* of eating it would be really gross. I'll plead temporary insanity with work and home related stress._

_Anyhow, let's see what we can do to get this show on the road._

There was no easy way to start righting the wrongs of her life. Her first priority now was the pack, as hard as that was to admit. She had done them wrong and wasn't sure if she could ever fully earn their trust back. It was sometimes hard to remember in all of this supernatural life, that they were all young and made mistakes. Embry, Quil and Jake were natural born pranksters and Jake assured her they had done far worse to each other over the years.

She wasn't sure that she had the kind of relationship that could get away with such a prank. Bella thought long and hard those few days she and Jake were isolated about where she should start. It seemed the most logical thing to let Edward know that things had changed and that she was no longer going to marry him. Prior to him grabbing her and running away, she would have sworn he was not like that. In reflection, she noticed how desperate he seemed. He reminded her the entire way back to the house that the Volturi had just checked up on her! Aro was expecting her to be changed. He was adamant they would all die if she didn't go through with it.

Sitting on the couch, staring into empty space, she recalled that day in her mind. It seemed like forever ago, but in reality, it had been 3 days. She and Jake had had 3 days of solitude. They had talked about everything and solidified the start of a relationship. Bella told him that there was a lot happening at once and she felt that they should take things slow.

Jake tried to convince her that things were far beyond a friendship with them already and that they could go forward however they felt comfortable. Bella thought back to how he convinced her to change her mind.

Her first night there, she had been terrified. Essentially kidnapped twice in one night. First by her vampire family, then by her werewolf family. It was pretty darn crazy when you put it like that. In her desperation to soothe Jake, she had kissed him. He'd begged her not to go and she promised she wouldn't. At first the words were hollow, empty.

But the more his warm, supple lips met with hers, the more pliable she became. She felt herself relax for once. No one was around listening with their supernatural hearing or mind-reading gifts. Jake had slowly pulled her out of her shell and she kissed him fervently. He'd pulled back with a huge smile on his face. He told her that it had been a long, crazy day and that he was still feeling exhausted. Standing from the couch with her in his arms, he carried her to their bed. In his mind, she was never going another place so it was theirs.

Then, the Day of Talking came. They'd gone over everything. Every single thing Bella could think of to ask about the pack and the legends, she'd asked. Jake had pulled out some tribal books his dad had in the house and they read through them together. First, they'd discussed practical things. That was easy-pack logistics, her role in the pack. They eased into the harder things. What would become of them now? Jake made it all sound so easy, as if the transition from one guy to another was no big deal.

Bella kept trying to explain that she'd been in this committed relationship with Edward, where most of her days were spent in fear. She didn't really "date" him. They were an unusual pair for the most part. Jake reminded her of all the ways she'd pretty much dated him. They'd gone to the movies, to bonfires, watches movies together all cuddled up and holding hands. When he made an imaginary bulleted list, Jake was more her boyfriend than Edward.

It was evidence such as that that left Bella stumped. What argument did she have left? Finally, she said to him, "What kind of girl dumps her fiancé and moves on with another guy?"

"My girl," Jake laughed, trying to kiss her as she leaned away from him.

"Ahh, Jake, come on! I already hate the way people think I'm a freak. I don't want to make it worse."

"You a freak? Nobody thinks that," she pierced him with a look. "No, honey. If anybody thinks anything, it's about the pack. And really, we don't care because we know what's really going on. The people that want to judge us and make assumptions about us-they don't matter."

Bella was leaning against the kitchen counter as Jake stalked closer to her. His words quiet, but full of meaning. He did not care what anyone thought about their relationship. He wanted her away from those bloodsuckers. She stood frozen, staring up at his large frame, towering over her.

"Bells, will you please be my girlfriend?" he asked her sweetly, with the innocence of the teenager he was. The hopefulness he held in his eyes, tugged at her heart. When he heard her heart gallop, his hands reached down to find hers. Gently, he wrapped his fingers around hers.

She let her head drop. This was all so much and so fast. "Jake, what about the Volturi?"

"What about them? Why are they so worried about one human girl? How can you interfere with their huge bloodsucking organization? Are you going to be the sole human to bring them down?" His eyes searched hers. Her heart raced in her chest as she remembered her visit to Volterra, to the way Aro had seemed to salivate over her, and how Jane despised her ability to block her.

"I think I'm a mystery to them. I think that's what makes me dangerous."

"Well, honey, can you stand here and honestly tell me that you want to go and become a vampire? If you do, then say so right now. I'll step back from you and let you go. It will practically kill me, but I will do it if that's what you want." He moved away from her and sat at one of the kitchen chairs, giving her the chance to go. This had to be something she wanted too. He couldn't go through his life wondering if she regretted her choice. He needed a solid, sure, and loyal mate.

He waited. And waited. The kitchen clock ticked loudly in the silence. Her breath could still be heard and she hadn't moved. It was hard to wait, as he was impatient and wanted to order her to decide. He knew that he could, but he wouldn't.

The soft footsteps kicked his heart rate up to double its normal rate as he thought she was walking away from him. Instead, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burrowing into him, sucking in a deep breath. He could hear the start of her crying.

"No, I don't want to change, Jake. I haven't for a long time, but I didn't see any way out of this," she whispered right next to his ear. She watched his jaw clench and leaned forward to plant a small, silent kiss just in front of his ear. "I can't be your girlfriend." She paused. "Yet." Then she grinned against his face.

"I have to break up with Edward first."

He turned around and grabbed hold of her, pulling her into his warmth. They held each other for a long while, neither attempting to let go. They didn't push things either.

Now, it was Day 3. She knew that the pack would soon be coming back and she wasn't sure what story her dad had been given about her absence. Jake told her not to worry about cooking dinner for everyone. She would see that they were a family that worked together. Everyone would contribute something to the meal. He took her to the store and they got enough hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone.

Right around 6:30, the house became the central meeting location. The pack members and their imprints showed up. Jake saw to it they all brought something to share. He never thought it was fair that Emily was responsible for the slave-like cooking regimen they had her under. He would make sure that Bella was not a permanent fixture in his tiny kitchen. Charlie and Billy showed up together. Charlie was oddly quiet and seemed to be giving everyone a full pat down with his eyes. When Quil walked up to him and laughed, grasping his shoulder, Charlie muttered to him.

"What was that, Chief Swan? You're going to shoot me? Come on! Let's go try it!" Quil guffawed teasing the other man.

"Quil!" Bella shook her head, trying to keep her laughter in. "Dad, are you okay?"

"Need to know, Bells. Need to know," was his only answer. From that point, he grabbed two cold beers from the fridge and headed out into the backyard.

"Your dad is good with weird," Embry said, as he stared out the back window. "Guess we know which side of your family has the crazy genes!" He cackled and walked out the door.

Bella shook her head, glad that someone seemed to appreciate her failed attempt at humor. She knew she would never live it down. That night though Jake insisted she could relax, she went to town making chocolate mousse for dessert. It had taken her a long while to get it whipped to the right consistency, but she'd tried a taste and it was perfect. Ever so carefully, she scooped the mousse into little fancy plastic cups she'd bought at the store.

Everyone talked good naturedly during the meal. Jake and Sam chatting over the grill as they cooked the meats. Bella sat quietly by Emily, Kim and Rachel, only contributing to the conversation when someone spoke directly to her. It was hard to feel like you didn't belong after you felt like you had for so long. It didn't take long for the massive amounts of food to disappear. Bella went in to the house and carefully placed the cups onto a large tray to bring outside.

She was able to get the tray outside onto the picnic table and went back inside for the plastic spoons. When she came back out, Leah was standing over the table. Her eyes glared at Bella before she spoke.

"What is this, Bella?" she sneered out. "Dog shit?"

Charlie jumped up to look at the cups, wondering what the fuss was about. His eyebrows pulled down in puzzlement. Dog crap? It looked like chocolate pudding. He took one and tried it.

"Mmm, Bells! Tastes good." He happily ate the rest of the mousse, while the others stared at the cups in horror. Though they all knew what was in the cups was edible, the thought was there. They would never look at it the same again.

Leah laughed loudly as she walked off into the woods. She would never let Bella forget how she'd ordered her to eat dog food.

"Listen up, guys," Jake called their attention. "We will be having a pack meeting tonight at 11:00. Take your girls home and be back by then."

The others gathered their belongings and left. None of the wolves apologized to Bella as they left the dessert untouched. Charlie happily ate 3 more and offered one to Billy, who shook his head to decline.

"I'm headed out, Bells. I guess I'll see you tomorrow when you come to get your stuff."

"Stuff?" she asked, dumbly.

"Yeah…you know the stuff you'll need to live here with Jake…"

"Who said I was moving in with Jake?" she looked around.

"I did. Come on, Bella. I can't keep you safe in Forks. Edward could come try and grab you again. He did it in broad daylight once." Jake stood behind her, his arms folded over his chest.

"Fine. Whatever. But I'm sleeping by myself!" she hollered out as she went into his room and slammed the door.

Charlie walked out the front door, having scraped several more cups of mousse into a big red plastic cup. Billy told Jake he couldn't wait to sleep in his own bed and was off to sleep himself.

Jake smiled and grabbed one of the little desserts. He swiped his finger through it and licked it. It was good. Although, he might be biased. He took the cup and headed toward his bedroom, thinking of how his Bella and that mousse would taste mixed together.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Rated T

Twilight still belongs to Stephenie Meyer and in her world, Bella crossed that treaty line and waited for Edward.

_I forgot to throw out a little thanks to plainjanedee for unlocking my brain Sunday. She's great at throwing out ideas to get you going. Not sure if I used any of them, but the ideas got me going. So make sure you're reading and reviewing her story __Vegas, Baby!__ (It's MA, so watch it!) Also, another story I'm in love with right now is __Decadence__ by tonyamic10. So my fellow jxb fans, review for them so I can read too! Also, haven't forgotten my other stories. Will be working on updates. Alphas are really dominating my brain right now._

Jake and Bella walked into the tree line hand in hand. Bella was trying to put her body slightly behind his, but he wouldn't let her. He held his arm stiffly so that she had to walk beside him. Her eyes were down, watching each step. She knew that falling on her face would be humiliating. Jake squeezed her fingers and looked down at her.

"I won't let you fall," he stage whispered. The pack chuckled around them. In the dark, they could all see fine, so she was at a disadvantage.

"Why do I smell chocolate?" Quil asked, as the others sniffed the air too. They all discovered that Bella was the source of the scent and her bright red face didn't help her deny it.

"Oh, just a little dessert," Jake smiled widely.

He didn't waste time before starting the pack meeting. He explained the next day's plan for Bella's big break up with Edward. They were all strategizing a big fight when Bella finally spoke up.

"Come on, guys. Edward is not going to attack anyone. He's not like that." Snorts and scoffs were heard all around her. "Really, he's not. The day that he came and got me…"

"Kidnapped you," Jake interrupted.

"Picked me up," she said forcefully, "He was only worried about my safety because he'd seen Embry carry me away crying."

"Bella, I mean this with all due respect," Paul started. "I know you're going to be Jake's mate and all that. I get it. But when are you going to wake up when it comes to that guy? He's not even alive! He needs to suck the life out of others to live. He's a bloodsucker. And a liar. Don't forget that."

Bella balked at Paul's statement. They were being unfair to Edward. She started to defend him, but saw them all staring at her-waiting for it. She could have reached up and grabbed the lightbulb that went off over her head in that moment. They were all waiting for her to go back to the Cullens.

"Okay, well, I don't think he will do those things, but you guys can keep preparing just in case. I think he will understand that he and I weren't meant to be," she finished calmly, taking a deep breath.

Dark eyes met her in the night. She wasn't sure who she had surprised the most with her statement. She held her hands out in a "continue on" gesture, with an expectant look on her face.

"Anyway, I say we kick his ass just for fun!" Quil cheered out.

"On that note, I'll take with me and Bella-Paul and Embry. I want muscle and patience. Sam will stay here with Seth, Leah, Brady and Collin. Keep the borders safe. Quil and Jared if you guys will wait at the treaty line in case things go south." Jake looked around at his pack and they all nodded.

"Before you go, there's one last thing," he started as they turned to leave the meeting. "Bella would like to say something."

Bella gasped and stammered. She didn't know he meant tonight. She'd taken his words to mean she should _sometime._ She swallowed hard, trying to clear the sudden cotton mouth.

"I…I…I wanted to apologize." She cleared her throat, took a breath and looked at them. "The dog food thing. I took it too far. I don't plan on doing anything like that again. Ever."

Her eyes went around the group. Most of them nodded, Leah stared her down and Quil smiled. Even though it was disgusting, he thought that made her fit right in.

"Anything else?" Leah called out.

"Leah, can I speak with you after everyone else goes?" Bella said, looking at her.

The wolves took their cue and promised to be back in the morning for Bella's trip to the Cullens.

Leah hadn't moved. Just stood stiffly in her place. Part of Jake and Bella's discussion had been about pack rank and that she could not act submissively to the pack. So Bella stood her ground, and when the wolf didn't move, she called her over.

"Leah, can you come over here and speak with me and Jacob please?" she asked with her best attempt at authority. Leah rolled her eyes, but walked over to them.

"Look, I get it. You're pissed about the order. I would be too. It was a crappy thing to do. I can only say, I should not have done it in the first place and should have stopped it sooner. But we are both part of this pack. We need you-all of us. And I don't want us to have this constant tension between us."

"I can't forgive you right now. Even if you are the 'alpha female.' I can't do it. I'll respect your position, but that's all you're getting from me. How the spirits thought a whiny, sniffling little girl like you was meant to lead this pack with Jake is beyond me. So, deal with it," she bit out.

"Oh, I'll deal with it. This is all new to me, but I'm a fast learner, don't doubt that. For the last year and a half, I thought I was going to be a vampire. That's all changed. I'm here to stay. With Jake. As pack." Bella stood as tall as her small frame would allow her and stared Leah down. At first, Leah glared right on back. When Bella didn't budge, Leah let her eyes shift just enough to satisfy the alphas.

"Fine. See you tomorrow," Leah said, not sounding 'fine' as she walked away, stripping and phasing in front of them.

"It's clear. They're all gone," Jake told her a few minutes later. She faltered a little and he grabbed her, hugging her body.

"You did good, honey. Don't worry. I've been preparing for this. I've had the pack in my head, we've all been friends. This is different for you. You'll get there." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Softly, he placed little kisses all over her hairline. It felt great to be able to do so.

"Let's go back to the house. There might be some more mousse in the fridge." He laughed as Bella blushed. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "this time, you can lick it off of me."

The next morning, everyone gathered outside of the Black home. Bella noticed how they were ramped up, like they were during the newborn training sessions with the Cullens. She shook her head at their readiness for a fight. These were the Cullens. They'd fought **together** nearly 2 weeks ago.

Climbing in the passenger side of the truck, Bella scooted into the middle seat. She was sandwiched in between Jake and Embry, while Paul was riding in the bed of the truck. She'd heard Quil yell out something about throwing the dog in the back when they left. Embry sat quietly next to her, his body staying carefully in his seat. Jake had no problem taking up all of his space and some of Bella's too, crowding her. He wasn't holding her hand or leaning into her, he was driving like he was too big for the large cab.

"Do you mind, Jake? Can I have a little bit of personal space?"

"Space? Why? I like leaning up against you." He looked down and gave her the cutest smile. Then he took his large palm and rubbed it up and down her thigh. Then he decided for good measure, he'd wrap his arm around her shoulder. They'd slept in the same bed together for the most part of 2 weeks now and she was worried about smelling like him. With his arm around her, he rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

The wolf was extremely worried about this meeting. The last time Jake had gone into the lair, he'd had to snatch Bella to get her out of there. He wasn't comfortable with this at all and the wolf was unhappy that his unmated woman was getting this close to the vampires.

When they pulled up in the driveway, Jake hopped out and pulled Bella out the driver's side door with him. He wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed his nose on the sweet skin between her neck and shoulder.

"Don't think you're fooling anybody, Mister," Bella told him, and pushed him back. "Let's go. Try not to make this harder than it has to be."

Bella walked with purpose to the front door, surprised that no one had bothered to come outside. She rang the doorbell and waited until Carlisle opened it.

"Bella, good morning." He smiled, glancing at the others. "Jake, Embry, Paul, good morning to you as well. What can I help you with?"

Surprised at his reserved behavior with her, Bella spoke up. "Carlisle, I need to speak with Edward."

"Sure, Bella. He's in the backyard, by the river. Go on back."

Jake led them all around the house and cleared his mind. He wanted to honor Bella's request to make this process quick and easy. He didn't think it would be, but he wouldn't be the cause of the difficulty.

"Love, you've come back. I've been waiting for you. Alice saw that our schedules went blank this morning, so I knew that the mutts had gotten my message."

"What message was that?" Jake growled out.

"That if you did not return Bella to us, we would come retrieve her this afternoon. You took her from us against her will," Edward said, snarling lightly at the end.

"Technically, Edward, you were the one that took me against my will first," Bella said quietly. He turned his furious stare on her. She backed up a step, shocked at the fury she saw there. He had never looked at her that way. Except that first day in biology class. The day he'd confessed he'd wanted to kill her, or drain her at least. The memory caused her to stumble back again. But Embry was right behind her and held her in place.

"I told you, I was protecting you. Bella, you surely have not already forgotten the visit that Jane paid us in the woods. Aro is expecting us to get married and for you to be changed. You aren't thinking on going back on that, are you?" He had stepped much closer and was watching her.

"I…I…Edward, I can't marry you," she breathed out. "I can't. My place is not with you. It's with the pack. I know that you, more than anyone else in your family understands this. I am a part of the pack now."

"You aren't. Not yet. I know that they've told you that you are. But you aren't officially pack until you and Jacob," he stopped midsentence, realizing in his desperation what he was about to say.

Though, he wasn't about to reveal anything the group wasn't already aware of. He looked at the wolves, but they'd all found a way to conceal their thoughts. If he weren't so annoyed, he might have been impressed. He glared at Jacob, hoping that the immature alpha would slip up for a moment.

Finally, Bella sighed, and started talking. "Edward, we know what the last steps of making me an official part of the pack are. I'm fully informed. But, this is where I'm supposed to be. I hope that you can understand and respect that."

"Respect?" Edward's voice had gone higher in pitch with his disbelief. "You are going to allow him to bite you, while you are…are…mating and mark your skin and you're talking to me about respect?"

"Did you forget how it was you came to be, Edward?" Paul butted in. The sniveling vampire was annoying him, and he wanted this to be over so they could move on with their lives.

"I was not marked in the middle of a torrid lovemaking session!" Edward snapped.

"Edward, I'm sorry, but we're over." Bella turned to walk away from him.

He growled and spoke so softly, only the wolves heard him, "This is far from over, Bella."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**This chapter is Rated M. If you are under 18, do not proceed.**

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

"That stupid…ahhh!" Jake yelled, pummeling the tree in front of him. "He is not going to go quietly. That piece of shit!"

"Jake?" Bella called out into the night. Jake stopped taking his fury out on the tree and calmed his breathing. He could see her at the door looking for him. She couldn't see him, but he had no problem seeing her.

"I'll be right there," he finally called back and strut back up to the house.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, looking at his bloodied hands. "Let's clean you up."

She grasped his fingers and gently pulled him to the bathroom. Like a small child, he followed, not speaking. She turned the sink on and tugged his hands toward the running water. He leaned forward to let her. The broken skin had already knitted back together but the dirt remained. Silently, Bella worked soap into a lather and she washed his hands carefully. When she was done, she grabbed the hand towel and dried his hands gingerly. Jake stood upright and pulled his hands back.

"Thanks, honey." She nodded and went back to bed. Jake followed her and yanked his t-shirt off of his head. He curled his body around hers and tried to sleep. It wasn't coming for either of them.

"Bells, you know Edward is not going to give up, right?" he whispered.

Bella sighed.

"He said that night in the tent that if you ever chose me, he'd walk away. I don't think he meant it. I think he said it to try to pacify me."

"Jake, how did this turn out like this? How did my life turn out so crazy?"

"I don't know, Bells. We'll protect you. You know that?"

"Yeah," she said softly.

Jake was on edge constantly after Bella broke up with Edward. Thanks to Charlie, Bella was living with him. At first, she complained about sharing Jake's room, but quickly gave in after falling asleep and waking to nightmares of red-eyed vampires. She didn't like waking up alone and Jake had about taken the door off its hinges when she screamed out in the night. He hauled her body up and carried her to bed, ignoring her complaints about sleeping in the same room with him.

"Bella, you sleep better with me and I sleep better with you. Please stop complaining about it and settle down," he'd told her. Finally, she acquiesced.

A month had flown by. It was the end of July and August was drawing near.

The Cullens had packed up and left. Carlisle called Billy one afternoon and told him they were leaving and had no plans to be back. Billy had asked Carlisle if Edward was leaving willingly but Carlisle assured him that they would take care of their family.

The pack wasn't all that comfortable with the answer. They knew they would see Edward Cullen again. He would not accept defeat. He would not give up the woman he wanted to be his mate easily.

Charlie had moved into the twins' old bedroom at Billy's request. He'd explained that the wolves could patrol a smaller circle if he was staying on the res. He'd agreed easily, reminding Billy that he only wanted to know the important things and to keep all the horror stories on a need-to-know.

Jake and Bella had taken some time to work at being a leading pair. Jake had to take Bella on training sessions with the pack and she worked on building her relationship with each of the pack members. Embry and Quil were the quickest to forgive her and to accept her place. Slowly, some of the other wolves came around. Leah was the last one, and while she was respectful, she toed the line at every opportunity.

Most nights, it was Jake and Bella, with Billy and Charlie for dinner. Each of the adults helped with different aspects of the meal. When there was a pack meal, Jake kept up the new tradition of everyone pitching in. Bella had enough responsibilities of her own with online college classes, the pack, a new exercise regimen and the addition to the little red house. There wasn't enough room for everyone, and the pack was helping Jake add on. They were expanding out Jake and Bella's bedroom, and adding on a full bathroom and a half bath.

The relationship between Bella and Jake was slow to transform from one of friends to more. Though Bella knew she loved Jake, it was hard for her to let go of the future she thought she had with the Cullens. Though each team building activity she did with the pack, the more alive she felt and part of the family. She began to trust each of the wolves and knew that one day, she might have to trust one of them with her life. She thought that in that point in time, they would fight for her. She knew they already had. But they did it out of duty, not out of loyalty.

One of the first few nights in August, Bella came home from visiting with Kim and Emily at Emily's house. She was surprised to find the house quiet and walked into the kitchen to find that the table had been set for two. Glancing around, she noticed that the oven was on and the shower was running. Bella reached out to open the oven door to peek inside, when Jake's deep voice called out to her.

"No peeking!" He'd startled her and she yanked her hand back. Jake opened the bathroom door, wearing only a towel around his waist.

"Give me a minute to get dressed," he said and shut the bedroom door. Bella sat at the table and admired Jake's efforts. He had gotten a nice white linen tablecloth and put out his mother's china plates. He also had two candles, though they weren't lit. She smiled and grabbed the lighter, lighting them for him. It was nice that he did something romantic like this. They had slowly started shifting into a couple. They had always held hands and hugged, but he initiated it. Now she often grabbed his hand and held on, not just being a bystander in the caring touches. They weren't hot and heavy by any means.

Lately though, she'd been watching him. He was a great leader. She admired him and tried each day to be as loyal and caring as him. He cared about each one of the wolves and worked to cultivate their strengths in the pack, as well as in life. One day, they all hoped to leave the supernatural behind and they were going to need life skills. She was amazed at the way Jake made sure that they finished school-through diplomas or GEDs. The way he moved so fluidly, looking so beautiful in both human and wolf forms.

She was lost in her thoughts when he finally came into the kitchen. He'd put on a nice pair of jeans and a polo shirt. He smiled at her and pulled the dish out of the oven. Bella didn't say anything to him. She only watched him, enjoying the way he moved around the kitchen.

He tossed a hot pad into the center of the table and placed the dish in the middle. The lid was left on the stove top and Bella inhaled the smells that came her way. She was impressed at his lemon chicken. He'd sliced lemons and laid them on the meat. Then he pulled out another smaller casserole and set it on the table as well. Leaning in, she noticed that one was filled with rice.

The dinner table remained silent as Jake served Bella the dinner he made for her. Bella smiled and cut the chicken into small pieces. She noticed a bread basket and reached out to lift the towel. Jake stopped her with a swift hand that shot out and grabbed hold of her.

"What?" she recoiled at his reaction.

"That's dessert," he answered.

They ate their dinner without talking much. Bella complimented the food and Jake nodded in response. Bella would've been worried but there was an odd energy crackling in the air. Something was going on. She wasn't sure what yet.

Jake kept his mouth shut because he wasn't sure he could keep the words in like he'd been planning. He wasn't sure how the rest of the night was going to go, but at least he'd have this dinner as a memory.

Covertly, he'd glanced at the "dessert basket" making sure that it was still there. He was glad that Bella hadn't looked in while he was in the shower. It would've given away his plans.

When Bella finished eating, she stood to wash the dishes. Jake grabbed her and pulled her over to him. He admired Bella's body. Her fitness plan had tightened and toned her physique. Overall his goal was to boost her confidence and stop her from tripping over her feet. While she wasn't tripping anymore, he thought she could continue to be more confident. It was a lifelong cycle of self-hate that he was trying to break, and he knew it'd take time.

Bella tried to sit in the chair next to him, but he was faster and pushed it in with his foot. She looked at him and he grinned and patted his leg.

"Sit with me?" he asked, his voice soft and inviting.

"Are you ready for dessert?" he asked leaning over to carefully grab the basket, holding Bella with his other hand.

"I'm kind of full," she admitted, patting her stomach. He left the basket and leaned back. His hand covered hers over her stomach. She pulled her hand away, but he didn't. Slowly, he ran his hand over her belly. Her eyes looked up to his and he was surprised at the look of love he saw there.

The wolf was happy. His mate would be theirs soon.

Jake turned her body in his lap. Her back was against his chest. He leaned down in the chair and put her legs on the outside of his. When he moved his knees apart, her legs widened out as well. She was wearing running pants and Jake ran his hands down her thighs, feeling the muscles she had built. Her head lolled onto his shoulder, her nose pressing against his neck.

His hands crisscrossed her stomach, rubbing across the firm muscles of her abdomen.

"Jake," she whispered.

"Bells," he sighed back, wishing he could take her right on the kitchen table.

"What's for dessert?" she asked, thinking of the chocolate mousse. That was the most intimate they'd ever been. She couldn't believe how erotic he'd made it to put little dots of it on her skin and then lick and suck it off. He didn't even take her clothes off. Somehow, she'd been unable to ask him to do something like that again, even though she'd enjoyed it. Now that he had a secret dessert, she was curious.

"Bells," Jake said, clearing his throat and sitting them up. He pulled his legs together and turned Bella so that both of her legs were on his right side. This way he could see her face.

"I love you. I always have. When we were small and I saw you for the first time, I thought Charlie had brought me a princess. I remember the frilly pink dress you were wearing to this day. You hated it. You said it made you itch," she chuckled, remembering how her dad thought she wanted such girlie things.

"It did," she laughed.

"Anyway, I fell in love with you when I was little. When you moved back to Forks, I was sucked in. I thought I lost you. I really did. Then, you stopped that day and Embry brought you back. I'm not sure we'll ever be able to explain what happened. But that day, both of our lives changed. What I'm trying to say is," he said, and he lifted the towel off the basket.

Bella peered into it and saw the cupcakes Jake obviously made. They had candy letters on each one. The kind you can buy to make your own birthday cakes. She loved them and sometimes bought them to snack on them.

On the cupcakes were the words **Marry Me?** The birthday letters didn't come with a question mark and he obviously bit a C to make it into one. She smiled at his creativity. When she turned around to look at him, he held a ring in his palm.

"I know I can't give you a fancy house or a priceless car, but I can give you unconditional love, family and a home. You're already part of the pack. Will you marry me, Bella?" his eyes glistened as he hoped she would say yes. What she did say, he was not expecting.

"Well, technically, I'm not part of the pack until you mark me." She looked at him when she said it. She didn't waver or falter in her statement.

"What…what…what are you saying?" he stuttered.

"I'm saying, I'm ready. I'm ready to officially be pack, and yes, I'll marry you," she whispered, her head dropping the tiniest bit. Jake's hand shot out and lifted her chin. He leaned down and kissed her. Then he held his hand in front of her, showing her the ring.

It was a dainty ring. She admired it in his large hand before she reached out to take it. When her fingers almost touched it, Jake's fingers snapped shut around it. She laughed and he smiled.

"Give me your hand," he said gruffly, his voice thick with emotion. Carefully, he slid the ring up her finger. After he had it on her, he pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers and the ring finger.

"I love you, Jake," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you, too," he replied, standing up and carrying her out of the kitchen.

"Jake, wait!" she wiggled trying to get out of his arms. He growled in response.

"The candles, Jake. That's all." He turned around and blew them out with one big breath. She laughed at him as he walked quickly to their room.

When he opened the door, she gasped loudly. "It's done! Jake, how is it done already?"

"I've been working on the interior whenever you were out and I knew the day it was done, was the day I was going to ask you to marry me."

"Aww, Jake, it looks great." She looked around at their expanded bedroom. She smiled as she noticed her clothes had been hung in her closet and her pictures were set up on her dresser. She noticed that there were a few pictures of her and Jake on his dresser. The bed was made simply with white sheets and a woven blanket.

"My grandma made this before I was born," he said, running his hand across the fabric.

"It's perfect, Jake." She turned and noted the look of heated desire in his eyes. Her body took notice as well. He stepped in close to her.

"Are you sure about this? I don't want to start something you aren't ready for. I don't think the wolf will let me stop once we start."

"I'm sure, Jake. I don't know when things changed exactly, but I'm sure I want this. I want you." She looked up at him and locked her eyes with his.

His hands cradled her face as he leaned down to kiss her, unlike he had ever kissed her before. He didn't hold back a bit. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting her, loving the way she tasted. She pushed her body into his. His hands ran up and down her body and hers did the same to his.

With nimble movements, he swiftly removed their clothes. Without hesitating, he laid her body on the bed. He knew that she was still a virgin and he couldn't rush things. Taking care to prepare her, he worshipped her body with kisses and nips. There was no part of her body he left untouched and the smell of her arousal permeated the room, exciting the wolf. After he thought her body had been readied for him, they kissed deeply before he entered her. Her eyes filled with tears and he kissed her face, begging forgiveness for causing her pain. He held his body still, having filled her completely. She gasped and cried from the intrusion. No one ever mentioned this kind of pain in the books or movies. It was all perfection and painless. That was hardly the truth.

Jake tried to coax her out of her pain. He backed out slowly and rocked back in. He kissed everywhere he could reach without leaving her body. She groaned. At last, he reached down and caressed her, hoping to help her relax and enjoy this. He sat back on his haunches, his hand pressed at her center, his length still resting inside of her.

It took quite a long time for them to find a comfortable rhythm but eventually they did. Jake found his climax easily, but it was harder for Bella. He promised they would figure it all out. The wolf helped Jake during a later heated session. Jake was an inexperienced lover, but the wolf used his heightened senses to listen to Bella's body. Her gasps, pants and quickened heartbeat all signs that she was enjoying the ministrations.

Bella was obviously enjoying a position that Jake wouldn't have thought to try so soon. He stood her in front of dresser, placing her hands out in front of her, leaning her body over. They could see each other in the mirror and their gazes stuck together as Jake entered her. He moved slowly, sensually. His hands gripped her hips, squeezing with just the right pressure. Her head dropped as she moaned loudly. Jake felt when the wolf surged up in his body, but he was powerless to stop him. He pulled Bella's body up, sucking her neck. He continued to pump into her, watching her in the mirror. She was mesmerized by his eyes and the expression on his face. The wolf was obviously at the surface and it only made her desire him more.

When she clamped down on him, he bit down, marking her shoulder. He came moments later, lapping at the mark he left on her. After she caught her breath, she moaned loudly. His fingers brushed over it, amazed that it was already healed. She shivered with desire.

"Mmm, you like that, baby?" he asked her.

"Yes," she whined back. He did it again and she moaned again. "Jake!"

"You're ours now. You're officially pack. I love you, honey. So much. I have waited my whole life for this."

"I love you too, Jake. I'm sorry for taking so long."

"No, don't be sorry anymore. We had to take the path to get to each other. We're on the right path now. Me and you, and our pack."

"Me and you," she agreed, going limp against his body. He lifted her and carried her back to the bed. The ring glistened, catching Jake's eye. He loved the way it looked on her hand. He leaned back and looked at his mark. It was faint, only those with supernatural vision like his would be able to see it. But they were the only ones that might be stupid enough to go near his mate.

The shift had been felt through the pack. They all knew instinctively that Bella and Jake had sealed their bond. The phased wolves howled into the night, welcoming their newest pack member. Jake smiled as she slept through the welcome.


End file.
